Overview

Bryonia laciniosa, referred to as bryonia for short, or Shivlingi in Hindi, is a slender, pungent plant that flowers in India between the months of April and December. Nearly all of the components of bryonia—from its grey seeds and spherical fruit to its scabrous leaves—are purported to wield medicinal properties.

How Bryonia Laciniosa Might Help With Testosterone

Stimulating testosterone production

In animal studies, Bryonia laciniosa was shown to influence the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis to increase the release of luteinizing hormone (LH), which subsequently increases testosterone production. Testosterone levels have been shown to increase via the same pathway in ginseng and numerous other Ayurvedic testosterone boosters.34

The high amount of saponins in bryonia may also potentially activate testosterone release through some other yet unidentified mechanism, such as:

Bryonia Laciniosa Benefits & Uses for Testosterone

Aside from showing promise as a testosterone booster, Bryonia laciniosa may also:

Increase sperm count

Promote sexual behavior

However, there is currently very little research into bryonia’s impact on testosterone, with only one animal study – and its long history of use in Ayurvedic medicine – to base its effectiveness on. 5 As such, it’s far too early to tell if it truly works in humans.

Bryonia laciniosa contains various bioactive ingredients that may be responsible for its effects, including Punicic acid, an omega-5 fatty acid, glucomannan, a fiber compound, goniothalamin, and saponins.

Research

Animal Research

In this controlled, investigation, rats were given a control or an ethanol seed extract at 50, 100, or 150 milligrams (mg) per kilogram (kg) of bodyweight every day throughout a 28-day period. All of the sexual behavior parameters—mount frequency, intromission frequency, mount latency, intromission latency—were significantly affected by all doses of bryonia. An increased weight of sexual organs, including the testes, seminal vesicle, and epididymis, as well as increases in spermatogenesis and total sperm count, were reported. Coinciding with a significant increase in testosterone and luteinizing hormone levels, these results demonstrate the androgenic activity of bryonia.

Human Research

Successful clinical trials investigating the impact of bryonia on humans have yet to be conducted.

Dosage for Testosterone

There is currently no recommended dosage for bryonia from reputable clinical research

Supplements are typically taken in 1 – 2 g doses

Available Forms

Whole seed, approximately 1 – 2 g

Seed extract

Seed powder

Supplements in Review Says

Bryonia laciniosa seeds 1 – 2 g for testosterone.

Bryonia laciniosa shows early potential of boosting T. We do not recommend Bryonia laciniosa as a testosterone booster due to the extremely limited research available at this point in time, but it does certainly hold some potential.

Try no more than 1 – 2 g of Bryonia laciniosa seeds. The most commonly used form of the supplement seems to be 1 – 2 g of bryonia seeds.